


DOOMS

by zeze_amoroso



Category: ONEUS (Band)
Genre: Angst, Family Loss, Platonic Relationships, Post-Apocalypse, Video Game Inspired, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:49:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21976873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeze_amoroso/pseuds/zeze_amoroso
Summary: All Leedo wants is to survive and live a somewhat peaceful life. Seoho wishes to be normal and to be left alone. Ravn wishes to see his family again. Who would have thought these wishes would lead to such violent events?
Relationships: Kim Geonhak | Leedo/Lee Seoho
Comments: 56
Kudos: 50





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's my first ONEUS fanfic, I hope you will enjoy it. The main concept of the story is based on the video game, Death Stranding. I love the world it is set in but decided to make a different storyline. If you have not played the game or know nothing about it, do not worry, things will be explained in the chapters, and don't hesitate to ask if there is something unclear. All you need to know going into the story is a large explosion has caused the human race to near extinction and opened up a tear between the dead and the living.
> 
> I hope you will enjoy it.

Leedo stares at the sky as the heavy dark clouds travel in over the mountains in the distance. They are heading towards him and the area he is traveling in, the Timefall already having started to fall, the plants dying and being born over and over again. He grabs his hoodie and puts it over his head, making sure it’s covering him completely. All his clothing is covered in plastic, it is not affected by Timefall as all-natural living things are. One simple droplet of Timefall and the aging process begins. It looks just like normal rain, or at least what Leedo has heard normal rain is like.

He wasn’t born in the world before the explosion happened, Death Stranding as it’s called. An explosion that caused nearly a mass extinction. He has grown up in a world of living underground, away from the world above and the BTs outside. Dark smoke-like creatures floating around, waiting to kill whatever comes in their way. Leedo can’t run in this area, he has to keep his eyes open, concentrate and be ready to drop to the ground in case BTs appear. They can’t see but the smallest sound will grab their attention.

That’s the first rule he was told when he started working as a porter; if a BT tries to hunt you, run. Don’t worry about the cargo you’re carrying, just run. If you don’t, you will die. He has been pretty good at avoiding them and staying quiet enough to get past them, but once he had to run down a mountain. He fell into a lake and stayed underneath the water for nearly a minute just waiting for those creatures to leave.

As he walks over the large rocks and mountain landscape, back towards the capital, Knot City, the rain starts becoming heavier. Looking down at the ground, watching as flowers grow and die within a few seconds. It’s a sight that’s hard to imagine, he didn’t properly believe it himself until he saw it happen. It was his first time out delivering medicine to one of the cities on the other side of the mountains. The rain is pressing hard down on his clothing, making it feel heavy and hot, the temperature rising.

He knows there are caves close to here, somewhere he can hide for a little bit until it has calmed down. He walks up the mountain, being careful not to slip in the muddy ground. He breathes heavily from wearing the suit. He can’t even dampen the sweat off his forehead without exposing himself to Timefall.

Inside the cave is dark and gloomy, it’s small but it’s enough to shelter him from the rain. He looks around the small cave, locking eyes onto the black-haired man sitting up against the wall. He’s sleeping, holding around himself and in clothing that looks worn down.

He doesn’t look like a Prepper, a person living within the cities underground. Leedo carefully walks over towards him. The man seems rather at peace. He must have searched for shelter from the Timefall, Leedo concludes. It’s rare to see anyone outside in the land, most are inside cities or shelters built. The only people he comes across are porters. This man is not a porter. He takes a few steps away, going to sit over on the other side of the cave.

“Who are you?” says a voice from behind him. He turns, seeing the man has woken up and is looking at him drowsily.

“I feel like I should be asking you that … are you lost?”

He shakes his head. “I’m just waiting for the rain to stop.”

“What’s your name?” Leedo steps over to him, the man pulling himself together a little bit, hands tightening around his arms.

“Seoho.”

“Do you have a last name?”

“Lee Seoho.”

“Well, my name is Kim Gunhak, but I go by Leedo. What city are you from?”

“I don’t know.”

Leedo’s eyebrow raises, crossing his arms.

“You don’t know?” Seoho shakes his head. “Alright, I suppose. Uhm, I guess you can follow me to the capital and they can help you there.”

“But I’m not lost.”

His voice sounds surprisingly confident.

“Then where are you going?”

“I’m going home, as soon as the rain stops.”

Leedo sighs. “You’re so vague, you know that?” he says, sitting down on the ground, groaning. He’s tired of asking questions and getting only vague answers that lead to even more questions. 

Seoho has turned his head to look at the rain, watching puddles form, but seemingly also staring out after something more.

“What’s the thing on your chest?”

Leedo looks down where the black incubator is. 

“It’s a BB. You know what those are?”

Seoho shakes his head. How can he not know?

“It’s a premature baby, taken from a brain dead woman,” he knocks a few times on the glass and the incubator lights up, showing the naked baby floating inside of there. “It helps detect BTs, which are -”

“I know what BTs are.”

He keeps quiet for a little bit before nodding. “Okay. They can sense or see BTs and help make sure I don’t run into any. This one is getting old tho.”

Seoho stares at the BB, his face a form of disgust. The BB is currently floating upside down with a slight orange color. He knocks on the glass again and the entire things blacken, hiding the BB. It’s not a pretty sight, and Leedo also prefers to have it sleeping. Seoho turns his attention away again, staring out as he was before.

Leedo reaches inside of his inner pockets, finding some nutrition bars, opening the package and handing one to Seoho. He looks at it suspiciously, his eyes switching between Leedo and the bar.

“It’s not going to kill you if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I wasn’t thinking that,” Seoho says and takes the food, opening the wrap.

“How long have you been out here?”

He shrugs. “Two days maybe. Why do you need to be out and with that … weird baby thing?”

“I’m a porter. I deliver packages and resources to different shelters and cities.”

“I’ve seen a couple of you in the distance while walking. The only humans I’ve seen in a while.” The way he said it and looks down, his eyes becoming small and shoulders falling, it saddens Leedo. 

The Timefall starts calming down a bit. There is a clearing in the sky coming their way. He wouldn’t have to wait long before the rain stops completely. He can just as well start walking now, get back earlier, in time for the dinner. 

He stands up, looking out after the clearing, then back at Seoho. Guilt starts growing in him.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?”

“I can’t move in Timefall. I don’t have the same protection.”

“I am willing to wait. All I am offering you is a place to sleep at Bridges. You look like you need it. And a new pair of clothing.”

“I will be fine.”

It stops raining outside and the sky starts clearing up. Leedo looks back down at Seoho but he looks straight ahead, ignoring the glance. Leedo sighs. He can’t force the man to come along. 

He steps out onto the soil, only for the black liquid to spread on the ground, around his foot. He swears, immediately stepping away just as a hand made of the same liquid appears and starts crawling out towards them.

Seoho has also stood up, backing over towards the back of the cave. Leedo’s heart is beating quickly as they come closer. BTs must have appeared while it was raining, but this area isn’t even a common territory for them. Creatures in the shape of humans, covered in black oil-like texture crawl out from the pool, screaming and screeching a horrific sound.

It starts spreading closer to them, the creatures crawling closer, with nothing to protect them and no way to escape except straight ahead, testing their luck by running through it. 

“Fuck it,” Leedo whispers, seeing no other option. He grabs Seoho wrist and starts running, through the thick black liquid, pulling against the hands he can feel grab his legs and try and force him down onto the ground. 

A hard resistance and Seoho is screaming. He just gets to turn his head, seeing Seoho fall into the liquid, a few of the creatures crawling over him before Leedo falls in as well. He screams, trying to pull himself out, trying to break himself free. His vision gets darkened by the creatures, as their screams fill his ears.

In the midst of it, he hears the BB start crying and panicking. It’s highly stressed, and the crying only ads to his panic. He feels himself being buried further underneath the liquid. This is how he dies. Being killed by BTs, creating a Void Out this close to the capital. It will have devastating effects on everything, might even cause a blackout in the city.

He screams for help again. It’s all he can do. They are too aggressive to fight against. He can already feel his soul leaving his body. This is really how he dies, going to be stranded on his beach, bound to become another one of those things that terrorize the human race. He is going to become his worst nightmare.

The hands disappear, the screams, the liquid and the feeling of death all disappear. He feels alive again. But he’s not on the beach, he’s still just outside the cave. He sits up, covered in head to toe of dirt, but he doesn’t care. He can’t believe his own eyes, seeing Seoho on his knees, from his elbows and down are covered in dark matter and ropes branches from his hands, out for the creatures to grab onto, all centered around him but they are doing him no harm. 

He breathes heavily, crying as he lets his arms fall, letting go of the ropes and it all disappears in an instance. Tears are streaming down his cheeks as he looks up at Leedo, who can feel everything in his body shake, barely being able to stand up properly. 

“How?” is all he manages to muster out. Instead of answering, Seoho closes his eyes and falls on the ground. Leedo stays where he is, too afraid, his heart beating fast and his arms shaking. 

Seoho was controlling BTs.


	2. Chapter 2

Leedo ran back to Knot City carrying Seoho on his back. Running in through the gates and over to the entrance of the hospital. All the buildings are built of strong metal to better withstand the rain. Running over to the circular platform that will take him into the ground where the hospital is located. Everything is located underground, to protect themselves. It shakes a bit before slowly hovering them further down. He carefully places Seoho down onto the ground, and sit down as well, taking off all his equipment and jacket.

The platform stops moving and a door opens, two nurses and a man in a suit coming out, walking hastily towards him.

“What the hell happened, what did you do?” the man in the suit says.

“BTs … burn that thing, it’s done for,” Leedo says, standing up and giving him the BB. “That’s a survivor I found outside hiding in a cave. He has DOOMS but an intense form of it, something I’ve never seen.”

The nurses are checking Seoho’s pulse, heartbeat, blood pressure.

“Tell me when he wakes up, probably a good idea to question him,” Leedo says and starts walking, leaving his dirty clothing and equipment on the floor. The man in the suit comes running after him.

“Slow down, what do you mean the BB is done? You got it assigned two months ago. And who is that man? What kind of DOOMS does he have?”

He walks into the grey hallways, doctors and nursing passing him. He can take one of the underground trains to the headquarters where his room is.

“I mean, the BB didn’t react or notify me when a BT was right outside the cave I was in, but when I was being attacked, it had no problem reacting and screaming. Burn it, it’s useless and broken.”

“How did you survive?”

“That man I brought in, he … controlled them, it was like - it was like as if they listened to him.”

The man looks confused, his face formed into that of unknowledgeable. Something like that has never been heard of before, he isn’t surprised if no one is going to believe him. It’s something they will have to see. 

He steps out of the shower, into the rest of the room. It’s a very open space, four walls with no windows. It’s the bare essentials of a bed, a shower, and a toilet. If he wants to get any form of food, he would have to go somewhere else. And he is constantly being watched by security cameras, the headquarters are a place of no privacy. Putting on clothing and laying down onto the bed, he breathes out deeply, closing his eyes. It’s been a long exhausting day, and it’s not even that late yet.

As of right now, he can’t do anything else than wait to receive a message from someone that Seoho is awake. He always prefers being outside and working, being at home in his room is boring. There isn’t a lot for him to do, except sleep and walk around the vicinity. He tried reading once but he didn’t like it, most of the books are not very interesting to him. At least when he is working, he is constantly walking and exploring the land, often taking different routes that can show him something new. 

A voice over the speakers sound and a hologram over by his suits. It’s a hologram of one of the nurses, removing his mask and smiling.

“Hello, the patient Seoho has been transported to the headquarters in one of the available rooms -”

He doesn’t hear the entire message. He gets up quickly and leaves. It’s a message sent from the hospital, they are not expecting a response anyway. There is a long hallway with a lot of empty rooms, available for porters who come from other cities and maybe need to sleep for the night or take rest.

Down by the hallway, a few assistants are standing by the doors, talking.

“Is he inside?” he asks as he reaches them.

“Yes, just a moment. The doctors said nothing was wrong with him health-wise, only a little malnourished.”

“What about the DOOMS?”

“That’s the thing. They can’t see his level, but he definitely has it. It must be assumed he has a high level based on your description. But he has no knowledge or little to no knowledge of the current world. He doesn’t know where this is or how things work.”

“So?”

The woman steps forward. “So, it means he is from some unknown city or town. He is not registered in any papers, he is completely unknown. Since you have had conversations with him and he seems to trust you, figure out as much as you can.”

“I barely know him,” Leedo says, crossing his arms.

“Yet you ran here only two minutes after we arrived. Figure out as much as you can,” she repeats and the two leaves.

He looks after him, only now realizing how fast he reacted to that message of Seoho arriving. He was just waiting for it. He sighs, looking at the door into the room. There are no sounds from in there, maybe he’s sleeping again. With a careful step, he goes over to the door and knocks. It opens immediately, showing Seoho sitting on the bed. 

“How are you feeling?” Leedo asks, stepping inside, looking around the room to avoid eye contact but there isn’t a lot to look at.

“Tired … what is this place?”

“It’s the headquarter in the capital. The place I said I would bring you to.”

“I also said I did not want to be brought here.”

“You fainted after you saved me from those BTs, even then what the hell was that? How did you control them like that?”

Seoho looks down at the ground. They didn’t even bother changing him out of the old clothing.

“It’s just something I can do, I have been able to for a long time. I can see and sense them as well. I don’t know why.”

“It’s called DOOMS, it’s a genetic evolution that appears in certain people.”

“Then why did you ask about it if you already knew?”

“Because never have we seen anyone who can control them. That’s a new level that hasn’t appeared before. Until now, we have only met people who can sense or see them. Yours is new … where were you before?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, where did you come from? What city and area? You must have appeared from somewhere.”

“I don’t - I don’t know.”

He lets out a small laugh of annoyance. “Come on, if you want help, you gotta tell us.”

“I said I don’t know. All I remember is running away, someone telling me to stay away from the BTs and the rain. Everything else is a blur.”

“Then where are you going?”

He stays silent, continuing to stare down at the floor. Leedo is losing his patience. He doesn’t know what those doctors expected when they said he should gather information. How is he supposed to do that? The man clearly does not want to corporate or tell him anything that can help them.

He sighs, crossing his arms.

“If you are not going to answer, that’s fine. Rest up or whatever.”


	3. Chapter 3

Leedo had left Seoho after their exchange, and since then he hasn’t seen him. He has been too busy with work anyway, a lot of packages that needed to be delivered in long distances. Whenever he has been back at the headquarters, it has been to sleep or stack up on food, water, and other packages. One of the days, he even had to go and collect a package that had been dropped by another porter.

That’s what pisses him off the most. Having to do others’ work for them. After he had found it, they even made him deliver it, because the original porter had already returned home. And that is what he is returning home from. He is not far from the capital but he is exhausted. The sun is setting in the distance and he has been out all day. All his resources are nearly gone, with no more water and just a little bit of food left.

From where he is standing he can see the buildings in the near distance, but he is just so exhausted. Taking a detour to avoid BTs and with no moments to rest. Over by some of the brushes are wild bunnies jumping around, taking whatever they can eat. Leedo stops for a moment to admire them.

It’s rare to see any life forms out in the wild, not really anything that can survive. BTs are not interested in them, but it’s the Timefall that kills them all. Just a few seconds exposure to it will age them immediately and kill it. It’s a sad sight. It can start raining at any moment and then this small peaceful and calm moment will disappear.

He sighs, forcing himself to look away from them. That is how their world works now, there is nothing they can do about it. He starts walking again, knowing that if he stays for much longer, it will just depress him further. Even after so long, he has not become numb to feeling the world-changing. He can’t imagine how it must have been, to have lived from before the explosion happened and see how everything looks now. His parents remember, but they refuse to speak about it.

He reaches the gates of the city, running as soon as his feet touch the concrete, over towards the headquarter. For once, the streets aren’t empty. A truck with Corpse Disposal members drives past him. The driver waves shortly to him and he gives a nod back, watching after them. In the bag of the open truck is a few bodies, counting to about five or six. 

They are the ones who drive to the incinerator and burn all the dead bodies. If they are not burned, their bodies will be taken by the BTs, become a BT themselves. An irreversible faith.

He starts walking again and as he comes closer to the entrance, he sees someone standing at it, underneath the overhang. It’s first when he gets closer that he can see it’s Seoho. He smiles but forces himself to stop immediately, stopping a bit away from him. He’s holding around himself, squinting.

“What are you doing out here?” Leedo asks.

“Waiting for you. I was told you were out working.”

“So they just let you out? I thought they were researching you.”

“I sneaked my way out,” Seoho says, ignoring the comment.

“Impressive,” Leedo says, and he means it. “It’s difficult to get past that security. You know, I am supposed to report that.”

“Please don’t … I like being outside. Have you ever been outside during the night?” Leedo shakes his head. “It’s very pretty … I have a few questions.”

“Such as?”

“What is this city? How does all of this work? And I would like to have DOOMS explained again.”

He sighs. “Aren’t there doctors or nurses to help you? Maybe a researcher that can explain to you everything?” 

He shakes his head. “They are not telling me anything, and I trust you.”

Leedo can’t help but let out a small laugh, not sure if he is supposed to take that serious or not. Seoho steps forward.

“I trust you to not lie to me. I fear they will.”

“If they, you mean, Bridges, let me inform you. I work for them.”

“That doesn’t mean you support them.”

“What makes you think I don’t?”

“You would have reported me right away. I saw other porters and workers walking around with phones and communication devices, you must have one as well. I just want to understand the world better, I haven’t had a chance to before now.”

They look at each other. Leedo can see he is desperate, the wish in his eyes and the way he is breathing, he is scared. Maybe if he gives Seoho answers to his questions, answer whatever he has, maybe he will be honest as well. Answer the questions Bridges wishes to know about this man. Why he has been so isolated and gone from civilization, why he knows about BTs but nothing else.

It might be his only chance to figure these things out. Make Seoho trust him enough to tell him everything he needs.

“Okay, I’ll answer your questions. Let’s go down to my room, there is at least gonna be some privacy.”

Seoho smiles. It’s the first time he sees him smile, small wrinkles forming with his eyes. Leedo gives a small smile back, stepping inside the headquarters.

“Let’s go now. I don’t want to be caught with you out here. Will bring me in a lot of trouble.”

Seoho runs down the runaway, catching up with him and matching their pace.

“Why can’t I be outside in the city? I thought it was safe here.”

“It is safe here, and we don’t even get a lot of Timefall here, but it happens. That’s why most have secured themselves underground, a few cities are inside mountains. The cities are the safest places to be, it’s safe from BTs and anything else that can harm humans.”

“All I have seen are doctors, nurses and people in suits. I haven’t seen any children.”

They step on the platform and it starts sinking them, further underground.

“The headquarter, the thing we are in right now is a separate building. You have to go further into the city, via the shuffle train to get where the resident apartments are.”

“It’s all so massive,” Seoho mumbles in awe.

They walk down to his room, no one taking any notice of them. Seoho is allowed to free roam the building but he just doesn’t want to. He prefers being alone. Leedo takes off his gear inside the room as Seoho sits on the bed and waits. Hooking up the new BB to the large circular machine inside the room so it can relax. He received a new one after the old one was retired.

“Can you…”

Leedo turns his head to look at him. “What?”

“Can you please make so I don’t have to look at it?”

He laughs a little as he knocks on the glass and the entire thing turns black and dark, impossible to see through. 

“I don’t like those,” Seoho says.

“You get used to them.”

Leedo takes one of the chairs from the corner and pulls it over, sitting down in front of Seoho.

“So, what do you wanna know?”

“Do you know what caused the world to change?”

He shakes his head. “No, no one knows. Only that there was a big explosion which is called Death Stranding. Ever since then, BTs have been around. The explosion caused a lot to die which triggered them to come. What we do know about BTs is, it’s dead people who are stranded on this … beach thing they call it because apparently, it looks like a beach. They are never to leave, only in a weird form come over into the living world, controlled nearly by a hive mind, one single connection … but the mind it is controlled by can change.”

Seoho looks at him before looking away.

“What is this place? You called it Bridges.”

“Bridges is the name of the place that builds the cities and is responsible for everything that is going on in this world. It’s also the last name of the President who controls everything. It’s all under one system with a few exceptions. Everything operates under them.”

“This … the thing I can do … you said it was DOOMS and that only some people have it.”

“Yes, but from what I know at least, there has never been someone who can control BTs … how long have you been able to?”

“I have been able to see them for as long as I can remember … I first figured out I could control them when I was maybe ten years old, but I have always been too scared to. Am I dangerous?”

His shoulders are hanging and he is slouching. Leedo can lie and reassure him, gain his trust more. It would bring him closer to knowing more of Seoho. It would help Bridges. He sighs.

“I don’t know. You saved me from dying, so you can’t be that dangerous.”

A small smile peaks from his face, but he still does not keep eye contact. There is a bit of silence, as Seoho’s eyes start wandering around the room. Leedo keeps his eyes on him. He does not look unhealthy, he is skinny but not malnourished. 

“Do you live here, permanently?”

Leedo nods, leaning forward to rest his arms on his knees.

“My parents and my little brother live in the residential area.”

“Do you see them often?”

“No. I am too busy with work to do that … what about you?”

Seoho finally looks up at him, a bit of a confused daze over him. It might have been a long shot, but he can at least try.

“I don’t know where they are.” Leedo’s eyebrows wrinkle together as Seoho starts sliding his hands up his arms, as a form of comfort, turning his gaze to look around the room again. “Can we go outside when it’s dark?”

“Uhm, no. We aren’t allowed outside at any point during the day.”

He sighs. He mumbles something Leedo can’t make out. The only word he understood was something about the moon.


	4. Chapter 4

Something is keeping Leedo awake. Not something physical or some annoying sound, but it’s simply an intuition he is having. A feeling that something is wrong. A form of paranoia. There isn’t much he can do to entertain himself or rather, distract himself, as he waits for the dawn to come and he will receive another job. He wishes he had someone to talk to, something to fill the eerie silence.

He stares up at the ceiling as an intense urge makes him wish to get up. Nearly as if his body takes a mind of its own and is begging him to get up and move around. Leedo sighs as he grants the wishes and gets up, stretching his arms and walking in small circles in front of his bed. It’s still dark with a weak light coming from the glass enclosure where his work uniform is stored. It’s still slightly dirty from when he first met Seoho. He will take it to the storage when he has a day off to get a new one.

This isn’t good enough. He lets out a deep sigh and walks out into the hall. The halls are dimly lit in a calming light. He hasn’t had much time to just walk around and look. 

It has become a habit of his now, to eat with Seoho at the cafeteria. The man did not wish to eat otherwise, if he would, it would be alone in the room. Nearly everyone in the headquarters knows what he can do. Most find it terrifying and is scared. The other porters do not dare to go near him.

Leedo walks down the hall towards Seoho’s room. Whenever he comes back to the headquarters, he goes and checks on him, making sure that everything is alright. He tells about his day with the doctors and Leedo listens, pretending to be interested. He isn’t very enthusiastic about the scientific world as it seems Seoho is. He always seems excited to tell about any new thing the doctors teach him.

Nearing the door, he starts hearing ruffling coming inside from Seoho’s room. He stops in his tracks and starts hearing a small whimper. Walking quickly over to the room and opening the door. It’s dark, but no sign of other people except Seoho who is lying in bed, ruffling around in a panic.

Leedo hurries over to him, shaking him to wake up. Seoho grabs onto him, his nails digging into his skin, holding on tight.

“Seoho, Seoho, let go,” Leedo says loudly, gripping onto his wrist to force the man off him. This wakes him up, opening his eyes widely and breathing deeply. He can see the sweat running down his forehead, his chest rising up and down rapidly. 

There go a few seconds of silence before his eyes move over on Leedo.

“I’m sorry,” he says.

Leedo shakes his head. “Why are you apologizing? It’s normal. People with DOOMS gets aggressive nightmares, the higher level, the worse they are … what did you see?”

Seoho closes his eyes. Leedo moves away for him to sit up, wrapping the blanket up around his shoulders. Leedo sits down as well.

“I saw … the end of the world. BTs everywhere, people screaming and a large explosion. It’s normal?”

“Yeah, it is. I thought the doctors would have told you.” He shakes his head. “People with DOOMS have aggressive nightmares of extinction. Why? They don’t know.”

“I have always thought I was crazy. Whenever I have woken up screaming, they made me sleep away from everyone else because I woke all up.”

“Who?”

His eyes start shaking and Leedo can see the grip tightening on the blanket.

“The people you lived with?” He slowly nods. “How man where there?”

He doesn’t receive an answer. He ignores the question, looking down and away from Leedo. Whenever he tries to receive any form of information or knowledge of Seoho’s previous life, he refuses to answer. He just wants to help. 

An alarm goes off and the room turns dark red. The alarm continues in a heartbeat pattern. Leedo stands up, feeling the muscles tensing up. Seoho stands up as well, hunched over, huddling behind Leedo.

“What’s happening?”

“I don’t know.”

“Should we leave?”

“No, not yet. There should come a message on what is going on. We take actions according to that.”

Seoho holds his hands over his ears, while Leedo looks down at the brand around his wrist, waiting for the message. It’s taking longer than usual. Gritting his teeth when it finally arrives. Intruder it says. Someone is in the headquarters. 

“You feel anything?” Leedo asks him. He shakes his head. “No BTs then.”

Leedo goes over to pull in the door, gripping the handle to force it open but it does not move. 

“All doors have been locked. We have no other choice than stay here.” Seoho nods, sitting down onto the bed again, hugging around himself. Leedo looks at him, a worry forms inside of him that he tries to compress. The alarm stops going off, everything is back to dead silence, but the red light is still present. 

“They must have found the intruder … Seoho,” he says softly, stepping over towards him. “Where were you before I found you in the cave?”

“I was in the fields, wandering.”

Leedo sighs. “The people you were with before … who were they? Where are they?”

He stays silent. He’s barely moving, just barely breathing.

“I am asking so Bridges can help them. They won’t hurt them.”

“I don’t care whether they are going to be hurt or not. I don’t care about them.”

“Then why won’t you tell me?”

It knocks on the door, rather aggressively. Possible a guard there to check on them. Seoho stays still, looking down at his feet. It knocks again, more violent than before. He’s losing his patience.

“I don’t know how to open it, it’s locked.”

“I’ll get it open,” the voice on the other side of the door says. Seoho’s eyes widen and he turns towards the voice. 

“NO-”

What Leedo can only describe as a minor explosion compressed within a small space goes off, launching him into the glass tube of the shower, breaking it. Thousands of small pieces of glass piercing his skin. His ears are ringing and he can’t open his eyes. Screaming in pain as he tries to turn, only feeling more glass cutting into him. He can taste blood on his lips and tongue. The smoke filling the room and hall is slowly disappearing, a dark form stepping forward, ignoring Leedo and walking over to where Seoho is laying.

Up against the wall, just barely conscious from the explosion. The mask the figure is wearing is immediately recognizable. It’s the mask Homo Demens wear, terrorist groups against Bridges. He’s after Seoho. A kick of adrenaline gets Leedo up, grunting and groaning at the pain everywhere in his body, picking up a big piece shard of glass.

He is still unable to hear anything, his ears feeling numb. If he is being loud, the man is not reacting to any of it. He runs forward, aiming for the neck, but the man easily moves to the side, making him trip and fall next to Seoho. Every muscle in his body is screaming, and he does scream as his body makes contact with the floor. The man laughs behind the mask, looking down at both of them.

Seoho looks at Leedo, his hand slowly inching forward towards his. He takes it.

“We welcome you home, Seoho. I told you, I will find you no matter where you go,” the man in the mask says.

Leedo can hear footsteps in the distance. Please hurry he says over and over in his mind like a chant.

Seoho breathes in deeply. “I’m sorry,” he whispers to Leedo before his vision disappears again.

But he is not unconscious. He feels lifted as if hovering in the air. For a split second, there is a beach and the ocean in front of him, and the next second, he falls hard on the concrete floor, screaming again. 

They are in a different room now, only him and Seoho, on the other side of the headquarters. He twists his head in a panic, seeing Seoho completely unconscious, blood dripping down the side of his face. Leedo screams for help, multiple times before people finally arrive.

“Homo Demens, they are inside the building,” he says, his voice shaking. “They want Seoho.”

“Move him away,” one of the doctors says.

Leedo grabs onto Seoho’s wrist, refusing to let go as a guard tries to take him away. What if the man comes back? Who’s going to protect him? The pain in his body is unbearable at this point, he lets out a sob as his muscles give under and he lays weak on the floor, unable to move, watching as Seoho is moved into a different room. Only when the door closes, when they start moving his own body and he can no longer see Seoho does he fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally something more happened in this story. I hope you're liking it so far. I would appreciate comments from readers to let me know how I am doing so far, it would mean a lot. Thank you for reading.


	5. Chapter 5

They didn’t allow Leedo to go see Seoho, despite how often he objected and argued. They said no one was authorized to enter except for doctors and nurses for security reasons. Even with his damages, he wasn’t allowed to move from his bed. His back aches and any applied pressure on his arms makes him wanna scream in misery. The only thing the primary doctor told him, was that Seoho was awake and was recovering gradually from the damages.

What damages exactly? He wasn’t told, but just based on his own, Seoho’s back and shoulders must also be greatly damaged. He hit the wall and then the ground. The entire headquarter is in lockdown, it allows no one in or out, but Leedo knows that the intruder has probably already escaped. He came in somehow without being spotted, getting out shouldn’t have been difficult either.

Leedo lies inside of an assigned room in the hospital. He’s sweating and uncomfortable, the room is way too hot. There is a button to press, to call on a nurse but he can’t reach it without being in pain and possibly starting the bleeding again in his arms.

Suddenly it becomes cold in the room, feeling his body starting to shiver and goosebumps appearing on his skin. If the hairs on his arms could rise, they would. He feels someone stand over him, a hand on his forehead.

“You have a fever,” the voice says.

He opens his eyes, seeing Seoho stand next to the bed. He looks fine; he looks good. He doesn’t look wounded or damaged like Leedo. He tries to raise his arm to reach out and touch him, make sure he is there. Seoho takes his hand. His skin is cooling and soft, comforting. Seoho smiles at him, moving his thumb over his knuckles. But the smile is full of pain.

“I’m sorry, it is my fault you got hurt. I never meant to. I didn’t think he would come here.”

“Who?” Leedo says. His body temperature is constantly switching between hot and cold.

“Ravn, the man who attacked. He’s after me because he wants to use me. I thought I would be safe, but now that you have gotten hurt… it’s dangerous.”

The words and sentences are entering his ears but it’s like they make no sense to him.

“I don’t-don’t under-”

“It’s all right, you don’t need to. I brought along this mess, I can prevent it. Thank you for saving me, you were a good friend to me.”

He doesn’t enjoy the direction this is going in. Leedo’s grip tightens around his hand and he can feel a lump forming in his throat.

“Seoho…”

“I’ll tell them everything tomorrow, everything they want to know. You won’t have to bother with me anymore. I know I was boring to be with, anyway.”

“Please, don’t go.”

“You need to rest. I’m sorry for everything.”

“No, stop-”

Seoho steps away, Leedo trying to grab out after him. He doesn’t want him to leave, disappear from him. He doesn’t want to lose him. The heat becomes overbearing, the wounds painful. He wants to scream, scream out after Seoho and in pain but something is covering his mouth.

When he opens his eyes again, he’s looking up at the dark ceiling. All the pain has disappeared, he’s no longer warm and cold, he feels fine except for the obvious sickness in his stomach. His breathing is heavy as he turns his head to look around the room, seeing the locked door. Only someone with valid ID could enter.

Was it a fever dream? It felt too real. He could touch Seoho. He could feel his skin against his own, even now he can still feel it. He shakes his head. Seoho is too wounded to be walking around, too weak. The explosion damaged both of them. If either of them were walking around, it would be a miracle. It’s doubtful that he will fall asleep again, his worry for Seoho is too great. He doesn’t trust his dreams to dampen his paranoia; he needs to know that the man is safe.

With a grunt, he reaches over for the button and presses it, calling for a nurse. A few minutes pass by with no response. No one is coming. No one is responding to his call, he could be dying and they wouldn’t care. He is only a porter, why should they care? Grunting, he gets out of the bed, withstanding all the pain in his body. If they won’t tell him how Seoho is, he will just see for himself, make sure he is all right.

The hall is dark, a calming blue light illuminating the edges of the hall. After taking a few steps down in one direction of the hall, Leedo stops in his tracks. He doesn’t even know where Seoho is, what room he is. The hospital is enormous, it would be morning before he even finishes the first section. He can’t be too far away, right? He tries to ensure himself that and starts going over to the different doors, checking the patient’s names on the papers in front of the door.

It hurts to walk. His legs are weak and his mind is dizzy, foggy. The hallway is blurry and spinning slightly; the colors blending into a weird mess. The sweat drips down his skin again, his short hair becoming increasingly damp and wet at the edges. He can feel losing his breath and it becoming increasingly difficult to take in air.

Seoho must be here somewhere, he has to get to him. He has to see him.

A hand grabs his shoulder, forcing him around, grabbing his neck, nearly choking him. He can recognize the mask, it’s the same man who wanted Seoho. Leedo panics, trying to force him away but it’s to no prevail. He tightens his grip around his throat, pressing hard down.

Everything turns to black and Leedo opens his eyes again, once again, looking up at the ceiling of his hospital room, drenched in sweat. His hand has instinctively moved up to his throat, feeling around for any pain, but there is none. He shakes, not sure what’s real and what isn’t. What’s a hellish fever dream and when is he truly awake? He presses the button for the nurse again, this time someone arrives within two minutes.

They are asking him what’s wrong, they sound scared, checking his temperature, placing a towel around his skin. He does not respond to any of it. Was it all just a dream?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's a relatively short chapter but I didn't want a too long chapter after the previous one. The next chapter is hopefully also going to be more exciting! I hope you're enjoying it so far and will continue on reading. I appreciate comments and kudos, and if you wish to speak to me about something, I'm on twitter @zeze_valkyrie


	6. Chapter 6

It has officially been a month and a half since Seoho first arrived at the headquarters; since Leedo found him in a cave. It has officially been five days since he was released from the hospital, and he has not spoken or even seen Seoho since that fever dream. Leedo hasn’t been allowed to. 

Whenever he has asked into him, they just told him “the DOOMS victim is currently in the process of being researched and questioned. No visitors allowed.” whatever that is suppose to mean. He’s starting to fear that his fever dream was real, that Seoho was in his room, telling him goodbye. But was the other encounter with that masked man in the hall real as well? He groans, kicking the dirt with his heel.

He has been out working for the past many hours, coming back from having dropped off a package in a nearby city. Despite finishing early, he has not wanted to return. Just going back to his room and doing nothing, waiting for another job to come in sounds like a nightmare at the moment. It’s a repeated cycle that he is growing bored of. He never realized how boring his work is until now. 

It was something he was warned about when he took the job, but he never had a problem with it until now. He stares out into the distance, looking at the mountains and the large open fields, a blooming and beautiful nature. 

Did Seoho tell them about his past? He heard some people talk about a mission going out somewhere, maybe out to the people he used to be with before, his family. Will he be happy? Maybe he will get to see them again. 

Leedo checks on the monitor around his wrist to see any new jobs, anything he can do to kill time before it becomes nightfall and he has to go back to sleep. There’s nothing. Not even any packages that have been dropped by accident or anything that needs to be transported somewhere else. It’s unusually quiet. 

He groans in frustration and stands up, dusting the dirt off his new uniform. He doesn’t understand why they always make it out of white plastic, it gets dirty so quickly.

“Seems like Seoho finally told Bridges,” someone yells from behind him. He turns quickly, looking at the owner of the voice. Leedo immediately recognizes the suit and the distinct mask. It’s the man who had invaded the headquarters and set off the bomb. He’s walking towards Leedo. “I saw a few military vehicles go out towards the small town. Sad what a sight they will see.”

“Who are you and what will they see? What do you want with Seoho?”

“Seoho didn’t even mention me? I’m hurt,” he says sarcastically.

“He did, he called you Ravn. Now answer the other questions.”

The man stops in his track, reaching up to remove the mask and hoodie. He’s also wearing a BB. How Homo Demens got the information and resources to develop BB’s, no one is certain of. Behind the mask is a rather young man, yet older than Leedo, jet black hair and intimidating eyes despite the smile on his face.

“Youngjo, but Seoho only knows me as Ravn … They will find a small town full of ashes. We had to kill and burn them before BTs got a chance to. To prevent a death stranding from happening.”

“Wow you can actually do something useful,” Leedo says, trying not to act surprised. Youngjo laughs.

“It was also to protect ourselves. A death stranding that size would have ruined our bases. It would even have impacted your precious city. But the people in that godforsaken city deserved it when they handed over their only protection to us.”

It takes Leedo a few seconds to understand who he is speaking about. Which people he is referring to.

“Seoho,” Leedo whispers and Youngjo nods.

“Exactly, he was the only one keeping them safe from BTs. Of course, it would only be a matter of time before he would have lost his temper and killed them all anyway. He’s a danger to everyone around him, including himself. A ticking time bomb, within your headquarters.”

“What would you know about that?”

“Has he shown everything he can do? Let’s list them for you. Sense and see BTs, control them, summon them, he can travel over the beach. Enter the world between the living and the death and go wherever he wants to from there.”

Leedo has a flashback to the day of the explosion. Seoho had taken his hand and the next moment, they had landed at the other end of the headquarters, in the hospital. That’s why he saw the beach. It was Seoho’s beach. He keeps quiet.

“Bridges cannot control that.”

“And you think you can?”

“We have, for the past five months before he escaped.”

“The fact that he escaped is an example of why you can’t control him either because he is not something to be controlled. He’s not a weapon, he’s not dangerous.”

Youngjo laughs again and Leedo has had enough. Now he has a motivation to return home. He can distantly hear Youngjo following him. He won’t bite into the trap, maybe he should take a detour home through BT area, see how long that man will follow him for. The clouds are forming in the sky, they are gray and heavy. Timefall will come at some point.

He walks closer to the mountain wall, walking upwards. Quick footsteps come up behind him and he is pushed against the rough mountain rocks, Youngjo standing in front of him. 

“You wanna know how he escaped. He panicked, a little too much, which made him lose control and summon three BTs, killing ten of our men. After that, he ran. And you say that isn’t dangerous?”

“Fuck you!”

Leedo shoves him away, nearly making him tumble onto the ground. He doesn’t want to believe it. Homo Demens lie all the time, they just want him to turn against Bridges.

“You don’t think he would kill you in a heartbeat if he saw you as a threat? One wrong move and he loses control.”

“You’re lying. He has been with us for a month and nothing has happened.”

“He also enjoyed being with us for the first month or two, then suddenly his mind switched. Despite my efforts, he did not feel safe, despite a safe environment with food and proper clothing, something he had never had before, he hated us.”

“As if you did nothing wrong. Stop glorifying yourself as some sort of Messiah.”

“You’re not listening to what I am saying-”

“Then what are you saying?” Leedo yells, the clouds drawing near them. It’s going to start raining soon.

“Seoho is dangerous, you just haven’t seen it yet. We know how to control him, believe it or not, we are trying to keep your precious city and all the people living there safe from inevitable death and death stranding large enough to cause a mass extinction.”

Leedo laughs. “For how long did you practice that? I have seen him use his powers, the first time I met him, he could barely control one BT without passing out immediately after. He doesn’t have enough strength to cause extinction. If there is anyone who wants that, it’s you and your group of anarchists. If he truly is a ticking time bomb, I certainly feel much safer knowing he’s with Bridges than with _you_.”

He continues his walk, pulling the hoodie over his head, nearing the rain nearing. Youngjo runs up again, grabbing him by the collar and throws him inside one of the caves, in hiding from the rain. Leedo gets up quickly but he is blocking the entrance out.

“You’ve been working with Bridges for too long. Do you care for Seoho?”

“Move,” is all he says. It has started raining outside, a little bit of it getting inside the cave.

“I do not even wish to use his BT abilities-”

“MOVE.”

Leedo grabs him, forcing him away from the entrance, knocking him down on the hard ground. He has had enough, he doesn’t want to listen to it anymore, it’s all idiotic anyway, blatant lies. Nothing good will come if Seoho is with Homo Demens. A hand grabs his ankle, making him fall to the ground as well, a loud crack comes from the impact. He was just near inches from the entrance to the outside.

Youngjo crawls on top of him, holding him down.

“You’re really annoying trying to discuss something with. You just refuse to listen. You’re close-minded.”

Leedo grits his teeth at Ravn, trying to move but with all the gear, it’s impossible. The BB would normally alarm for stress in these kinds of situations but it’s quiet. The fall must have damaged it.

“We won’t give up until we get Seoho back, so tell Bridges that they better deliver him.”

“Or what?”

He doesn’t need to look at Youngjo to know he’s smiling. He grabs Leedo’s wrist, forcing the glove off, throwing over to the side of the cave, holding tightly. In an instant, Leedo sets in a panic, moving aggressively to knock him off, trying everything in his power to prevent this.

Youngjo forcefully gets his bare naked hand outside, on the wet grass, raindrops touching his skin. There is no pain, it feels like normal water, but it’s when he sees his skin wrinkling, slowly turning gray that he starts screaming. A few veins becoming clearer and the skin becoming looser, aging rapidly. It might only be out there for two seconds before Youngjo lets go and stand up, Leedo instantly crawling away, further into the cave staring at his aged hand.

“What have you done?” He yells at him, hyperventilating. 

Youngjo smiles at him. “Sent a little message. We want Seoho back. Have a safe and dry trip home,” he says, leaving and disappearing down the mountains.

Leedo starts crying in a panic, holding around his wrist of the aged hand, his vision becoming blurred. He has barely any strength in the hand, his fingers shaking, and the muscles being weak and useless.

It’s only the part of the hand that was exposed to timefall that aged, as soon as it touched his skin, it became normal water. He doesn’t know what to do, what can he do? Nothing, except for hating Youngjo who did this to him, hating the world for placing him in such a fucked up existence and hating himself for not being stronger. Nothing physically hurts but he feels like he has been broken everywhere. By the time he leaves the cave, the sun is setting and the rain has stopped, yet the sky continues to be gray and dull.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit dramatic of a chapter but it's a proper introduction to Youngjo's character and what kind of role he will play. I hope you enjoyed it! I will try and post more often, hopefully, a new chapter each week. That's my goal at least, but let's see if I manage to hold it. 
> 
> Thank you very much for reading, I appreciate reactions and comments.  
> Twt: @zeze_valkyrie


	7. Chapter 7

Leedo gets inside of the headquarters, sitting down on the cold floor as the platform lowers him further down. He dries his eyes with his sleeve, taking off the gear. He dropped the BB in the cave. He needed to get back home, he grabbed his glove and put it on his aged hand but he can still feel the damage timefall has done. He can barely bend his fingers, they are constantly shaking. When he tries to move his wrist, he can hear and feel the bones cracking.

How is he going to be able to work now? His hand has no strength. The platform stops and the doors open, one of the managers coming out. He had sent a message that he had been attacked while out.

“Where is your BB?” he asks.

“I took it off,” Leedo says toneless, standing up. “It broke.”

“This is the second BB you’ve broken within two months, do you know how hard they are to get? And why didn’t you bring it back?”

“I was attacked, by the same person who invaded the headquarters and nearly killed me. I have been exposed to Timefall. I do not care if it’s hard to get a new BB, they are fucking useless anyway. Get another porter to find it, it ain’t far away. Since there are no jobs at the moment, there should be plenty of them free,” he snaps at the manager, walking around him and in through the door. Normally he would never speak to someone like that, but he has had enough of today.

He walks over to the hospital wing, ignoring all others around him. Everyone else in the hall gives him space, properly too scared to do anything else. He might appear angry, but he just wants to go back to his room and curl up on his bed, never leaving it.

He forcefully pushes open the door into the hospital section and the nearest doctor room, forcing the glove off. He doesn’t dare to look down, he isn’t sure how he is going to react; if he is going to scream or break down again.

“I need something against Timefall,” Leedo says to the main doctor in the hallway. He looks shocked at him. He then looks down at his hand and breathes in deeply.

“Follow me,” the doctor says calmly and Leedo follows, putting on the glove again. He takes him into one of the offices and sits him down, going over to one of the cupboards.

Leedo looks around, it’s plain with nothing personal inside of here, no pictures. He has always hated it here, the artificial light doesn’t help to calm him. The doctor comes over and sits down on the opposite side of the desk, starting to type.

“When did this happen?”

“A few hours ago.”

“And is it just the hand?” Leedo nods. “May I see?”

He hesitates to take off the glove, putting it on the table and reaching his hand forward. The doctor takes it and softly touches the skin, it’s rough and dry. The doctor sighs and takes off his glasses, placing them on the table.

“As you must know, there is no cure against Timefall, we cannot reverse the aging, meaning your hand will look like that until we possibly find a cure, but I cannot promise anything. But there is something else that will lessen the effect of it, it will give you back your original strength in your hand. Here,” he says, pushing toward a glass filled with small insects. “It’s cryptobiotic. Eating one of these a day will remove the old feeling Timefall causes.”

Leedo looks at the jaw. The insects are still moving. A feeling in his stomach starts going around, he feels like vomiting staring at those and imagining trying to eat them. One every day. How the hell is he going to be able to do that? 

“And there are no alternatives?” he asks in desperation.

The doctor shakes his head. “Sadly no, this is the only way we know off. It’s either that or living with a hand that can’t do much. And as a porter, that won’t work. Just take one in the morning, I have heard they are rather tasty.”

He keeps everything in him. The need to scream into the doctor’s face to help him, the need to cry over having to eat actual living insects simple just to keep his hand healthy and keep his job. Instead of doing any of that, he tightens his mouth and jaw, takes the glass filled with insects and nods as a thank you to the doctor.

“When you need more, just come here,” the doctor yells after him. Leedo steps outside and is met with another reason to break down.

Seoho stands at the opposite end of the hall, dressed in somewhat normal attire. His hair has been cut shorter, it suits him more. They look at each other, without saying anything, until Seoho’s eyes also go down to his hand, immediately snapping them back at his face. The pity that is in them, just the way he looks at Leedo, makes him wanna sit down and give up. 

Leedo is having trouble holding it in much longer, he can feel himself shaking. Seoho takes a step towards him, yet Leedo sets in a fast-paced walk away, back towards the main headquarter. He just needs to go home right now, he can’t take much longer. There is no one coming after him, no one following or calling out after him. He is both relieved and disappointed.

Why should he expect Seoho to follow him, to call out for him when he is the one pushing him away now? He knows he is stubborn, always putting on a hard face, refusing to let anyone in, yet sometimes he just wishes that someone would try harder. That someone would break down the wall, but in this world, he shouldn’t expect anyone to be there for him. He had hoped Seoho would be different, that he had found a friend. He laughs to himself. How dumb.

+++

He feels his body shake softly. As if whoever is trying to wake him up is doing their uttermost to avoid it. Leedo opens his eyes and roll over on his back to see the person in his room. It’s Seoho, he is standing above him, eyes slightly red. He can’t help but smile at the sight of him, being here, coming to him, but it disappears quickly again.

“What are you doing here?”

“I wanna go outside.”

“Into the hall? The door is right over there,” Leedo says, putting his head down again on the pillow, closing his eyes.

“No, outside, in the field. But I’m scared of going alone. Can you please join me?”

“We can’t get outside without being caught.”

“What if I can?”

Leedo sighs, looking up at him again.

“How?”

Seoho reaches out and takes his hand, holding it firmly. In less than a second, he feels his bed underneath him disappear, a quick flash of a beach and then he’s lying outside on the grassy field, right outside the gates of the city, staring up at the starry night.

The feeling was uncomfortable, he felt his blood running cold, nearly freezing. He sits up, looking at Seoho who is sitting on the grass next to him. He’s not even sure what to say, how to even process what just happened. Instead, he just tightens his mouth and nods. 

“Don’t do that again without my consent,” Leedo says.

“I’m sorry. Shall we go further out?”

Leedo sighs, standing up together with Seoho. “Sure, let’s go.”

The sky is cloud-free, the stars glimmering and the moon bright in the distance, softly illuminating the mountains. He doesn’t remember the last time he was out in the night, probably not for years. It’s chilly, he wishes he had bought a jacket or something along with him. At least there isn’t a lot of wind, it’s just the chilly air surrounding them. Maybe this is just another weird dream, a side effect of the Timefall, tho he has never heard of such things. He just has a hard time believing that he is out here with Seoho, walking in the tall grass.

“That first night in the hospital, after Youngjo attacke-”

“Youngjo?” Seoho stops, looking at him confused. “You mean Ravn.”

“Right, sorry. When he had attacked, during the night, did you come into my room?”

Seoho starts walking along, Leedo walking next to him. He puts his hands in his pockets, waiting for the answer.

“I did, briefly. To say goodbye.”

“Why? Why did you say goodbye? Why was there even a need for a goodbye? You had me worried, it came so suddenly, I didn’t know what to do.”

“You were hurt because of me. Ravn only wanted me, but he wouldn’t be scared to hurt others around me to do so, that includes you. Being around me is dangerous … I was told by the doctors and those managers that my family is dead, that there was no one left in the town I used to live in.”

“Ravn told me about your past. How you protected all of them.”

“I didn’t protect them. I just warned them whenever BTs were near us. I have never been strong enough to properly control them. That day in the cave where you found me was because of adrenaline, because I didn’t want you to die.”

Leedo looks at him but has nothing else to say. They continue their slow walk in silence for a couple of times.

“What else did he say?” Seoho asks. “Ravn, what else did he tell you?”

“A lot, how they had been gifted you by those people, the fact that you escaped. How did you even escape?”

“I jumped, the same way I jumped you and me out of the headquarters. If I know where I wanna go and can perfectly picture it, I can via my beach, go there. But again, it’s hard to do, it drains me a lot and makes me weak.”

“He didn’t tell me why he wanted you? Are you a weapon to them?”

Seoho shakes his head. 

“Or I don’t know, maybe, but that wasn’t what Ravn said he wanted to use me for. He wanted to use my abilities to go to the beach and find his family, bring them back from the dead.”

Leedo stops, grabbing Seoho’s arm.

“You can do that?”

“I can cross over to the beach, where life meets death, and I can see people there, others who are unable to cross over. His family died in a death stranding explosion, burned to ash all except for him. So now, he’s determined to bring them back.”

“That’s … that’s messed up … what does it look like? The beach?”

“I can show you.”

Seoho holds up his hand for Leedo to take. Something is holding him back, the fear of what he is going to experience, what exactly he is going to see. He doesn’t even have a mental image of what’s it’s going to look like. Hesitant, he takes Seoho’s hand, feeling the hairs on his arm stand in panic. It takes less than a second, a feeling of absolute nothingness and then the sound of the ocean behind him. 

Looking around, it looks like a regular beach near the ocean, rocks, and cliffs rising, rough black sand and even dunes in the far distance. It looks beautiful until he sees the dead ocean animal laying on the beach, whales near the shore and small puddles of dead dried out fish further in, the dark ominous sky. Suddenly, it looks like something pulled directly from a nightmare.

He turns towards Seoho again, who is still holding his hand, staring at it.

“May I?” Seoho asks, reaching up to take off the glove. Leedo nods. He takes it off and even in the dark, it’s clear where the exposure has been, where he has been damaged forever. 

“Seems like even when I distance myself, you still get hurt,” Seoho says with a broken voice. “Are you in pain?”

“Mentally, probably more than I would like to admit, but physically no. The doctors gave me something to suppress the side effects. Currently, it feels like my normal hand, it’s just the visual of it that ruins the illusion. Does it hurt being here?”

Seoho looks up and around. Leedo can see a few tears in his eyes.

“I can’t be here for long, it’s depressing and it makes … the thoughts worse.”

“Then let’s go back to the field, it’s prettier there anyway.”

Seoho smiles a little bit, tightening his grip around Leedo’s hand a little. Everything disappears around him again, and he’s back to lying down on the field, looking up at the sky, Seoho lying next to him.

“Are you okay?” Leedo asks.

“Yeah, just exhausted right now. We might have to go in through the main gates when returning, I don’t think I can handle another jump.”

“That’s alright, let’s just stay here for a bit tho. The stars are very beautiful.”

“They are. Can you forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive you for. Just don’t do it again.”

There isn’t a reply. They stay silent, staring up at the sky, looking at the stars move across. It’s the first time in a while Leedo has felt relaxed, felt calm. Turning his head towards Seoho, who is peacefully sleeping, he can’t help but smile at the sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have thought over the timeline of events going to happen, and I am expecting around five or so more chapters. It could be more or less but this is just what I am expecting currently. I hope this chapter was enjoyable and a little calmer and sweeter than all the previous once have been. I appreciate all the comments, they have truly helped motivate me, so thank you very much. Thank you for reading so far and hopefully, the next update will come soon.
> 
> Twt: zeze_valkyrie


	8. Chapter 8

Leedo looks at the jaw of the insects, crawling around on each other and the glass. It has been a couple of days but he will never get used to having to eat them. It’s a fight every morning, but the old feeling of his hand does disappear nearly immediately afterward. Every morning, his hand feels dead and weak, and he has to remind himself why; nearly ruining his mood every morning. 

He sighs deeply, before opening the jaw and taken one of the insects out, quickly closing it again. He holds his breath as he eats it in one bite, swallowing quickly, goosebumps rising everywhere on his body. It takes a few minutes for the taste to leave, the tiny taste of blood to disappear completely before standing up and getting ready to leave.

It knocks on the door, Seoho comes inside. Leedo smiles at him as he comes over and sits on the bed.

“You’re getting ready,” he says.

“Yeah, a lot of jobs came in yesterday so I took a few. I have to go over and pick up the cargo and then I’ll be on my way,” Leedo says, putting on the glove to cover his hand. 

“I assume you’ll be gone most of the day then. I really wish I could see how it is as a porter. You must see a lot of things, see a lot of nature.”

“There isn’t much to see except for empty wastelands. After a while, it starts all looking the same.”

“I wanna go outside again soon. I still miss it. I’ve never been underground like this before for so long.”

“It’s for our safety, you know that. What’s your schedule today?”

Seoho shrugs. “It’s whatever the doctors tell me. They said something about wanting to see the beach, meaning I will most likely have to go there. I’m not that excited about it.”

“You can always say no,” he says, putting on the jacket. “They are not forcing you to do it. If you don’t feel comfortable, just say no.”

“You think that would work?”

“I’m certain. I have to go pick up the cargo, I’ll be back at around dinner, so wait for me there?”

Seoho smiles. “Of course.”

They follow each other out and down the hall until they have to walk their separate ways, Leedo towards the platform and Seoho down towards the research center. At the platform, a manager is waiting for him. The manager nods to him as he steps on and the platform rises. This means that the cargo he is transporting is most likely something valuable and needs extra care.

The cargo stands ready at the opening as well as a motorcycle.

“All the cargo is wrapped in plastic for safety measures, please don’t drop any of it. I know you picked some specific jobs yesterday evening but I am assigning you something different. You are delivering this to Coast Knot City.”

“That’s over 200 kilometers away from here.”

“Which is why you have a motorcycle. It should get you there in less time than it would be walking. I am aware it’s a long journey, we also have provided resources such as water and food ready for you during the trip.”

Leedo looks back at the cargo. “What’s in it?”

“That is none of your concern, just transport it and don’t break it. Be careful with it. If you wish to be back before sundown, I would recommend leaving now. Have a safe journey.”

The manager once again gives a small nod and leaves. Those people are always so high up, with no respect for others. Leedo rolls his eyes at the sudden change of schedule and starts packing the cargo onto the bike. He drives out from the opening and out through the gate. 

The terrain is not made for a motorcycle to drive around, there are no roads and he has had a few accidents when using it, tumbling over and losing control because of rocks getting in the way, it’s difficult to find alternatives. It is a quicker form of transport but it doesn’t make it more comfortable. It has also helped him get away from BT’s quickly. 

The journey to the coast is long, he hasn’t been there a lot. They have their resources and are very rarely asking for help from other cities. He tries to look around a little at the surroundings, watch as the mountains disappear, getting closer to the coastline, the clouds forming over his head and the foliage change to a tropical environment. 

By the time he reaches the city and the drop-off area, it’s midday. He didn’t take any breaks on the way here. The city is cold and dead just like another one. He never understood why they bothered making the buildings so grant when they are all essentially useless and just for decor. Was it to give off the illusion of life, that there is still life and hope? 

Leedo takes off the cargo. It’s incredibly lightweight, but something is moving around in there when he shakes it. He doesn’t even bother seeing the same old repetitive thank you message when leaving the cargo to be transported into the city. He gets something to eat quickly before taking off back towards the capital. He can drive a little faster now without the cargo and without having to be extra careful of it.

He doesn’t get far tho until he has to step on the brakes, and quickly turn off the motor. Over by the large river with the bridge is Homo Demens walking around. They are setting something up. Leedo steps off the motorcycle and crouches down. He can’t hear anything they are saying.

They all go over to the other side of the bridge and leave in their vehicle. Something’s not right, they did something to that bridge. He stands up and goes near it, picking up a rock. Stopping a few meters from it, he throws the rock up onto the bridge and the whole thing collapses into the water, flowing away with the strong stream, probably into the ocean. He sighs.

“Great.”

What was this even for? Him specifically or just to sabotage porters and other transport in general? He takes a detour, one that takes another few hours. After a while of driving and coming closer to the city, his communication bracelet on his wrist starts blaring. He stops and pulls down the sleeve to see the message.

"City under attack, do not return"

Leedo can feel his heart leap from his chest to his throat. It can't be BT's, there is never any in their area. For all the years the city has been there, there has only been one case of BT wandering into the city territory. It can't he that. Who else? The name comes to him as a hard hit in the face. Wasting no time, he sets off towards the city, ignoring the message. He is expecting the worst, and if his fears are correct, Seoho is in danger.

The bikes drive faster than it should be allowed to. One wrong move and it can tumble, he would fall and severely damage and wound himself. The communication bracelet keeps beeping, probably sensing that he is coming closer to the city and trying to stop him. He passes one mountain and stops, seeing a few rangers drive away from the city. Turning his attention to the city which is just in the near horizon, he can see fire and smoke.

He drives over to the city and the gates that have been forced open, seeing soldiers and others outside of the headquarters, walking around and examining, gathering a few bodies that need to be brought to the incinerator. Leedo stops the bike and jumps off, going to one of the workers that are closest by.

"What happened?" He asks.

"From what I've heard, they were doing some tests on that DOOMS guy, he freaked out and panicked, the whole place felt like it was going to explode. Asshole Homo Demens suddenly showed up and took him when he passed out, out here in the open. They stood ready as if waiting for it."

Leedo only really understood half of it but enough to know what has happened. Seoho caused this damage. Youngjo was here. They took him. Youngjo took Seoho. Youngjo has Seoho.


	9. Chapter 9

“What did you do?” Leedo asks one of the main researchers at the center. They are all walking around and cleaning up from what looks to be a tornado. Chairs and tables have been pushed over, papers everywhere, a few screens and glass are broken as well. An alarm is blearing through the entire headquarters, collecting people are evacuations and patients to be moved somewhere else in case the building can’t hold.

“Do what?”

“I heard Seoho panicked, what did you make him do?”

“We asked him to enter his beach, which he had no problems with but as soon as we asked him to show us all the dead people wandering the beaches, he refused.”

“And then you stopped right?”

“No -”

Leedo takes a step closer to the researcher, seeing the pupils in his eyes shake.

“Why not?”

“This is vital for our research, we can learn more about BTs, the beach and what happens there.”

“So you forced him.”

“We had no choice, we were just following orders.”

“Who gave those orders?”

The researchers tell the name of the main manager of the headquarters. Leedo leaves in anger. He should have known that they would use Seoho, force him to do anything that he doesn’t want to. Seoho had even feared this would happen, that they would not accept no yet Leedo didn’t listen. He wants to hit himself for not listening, for ignoring the worries and trusting Bridges. 

He stops and covers his face in his hands, pulling at his hair. He was supposed to protect Seoho, he said so himself, that nothing was going to happen to him here. Just this morning, Seoho was scared, didn’t feel safe or comfortable going in for the research or whatever tests they were doing on him. And he, like the idiot he feels like, told him he had nothing to worry about, that he could say no. 

He wishes he had been there, to stop them before everything went wrong. But Leedo was far away, over 100 kilometers away, without a single worry in his head. The managers are probably trying to find recruits to go find him since now Youngjo and the Homo Demens have him. Bring him back home. He wants to laugh. This isn’t even a home for Seoho, this is just as much torture for him as being with Youngjo and being tested and forced into exhaustion.

He has to be on that rescue team, to make sure nothing else happens to Seoho. Near the entrance of the headquarters is a lot of people gathered, talking and discussing. Leedo stops a little away from them, still close enough to hear what they are talking about.

“What do we do now? Are we just suppose to wait till they come back and use the DOOMS victim against us?”

“Of course not. And I doubt they would even get it to work. It’s an idiot test subject, it refused to listen to us, it won’t listen to them.”

“Even so, it’s dangerous.” 

Leedo cringes and his anger increases whenever they refer to Seoho as ‘it’ as if he isn’t human. They don’t care.

“If a similar thing happens at their base as here, and there are casualties, it will be catastrophic for everyone, including the surrounding cities.”

“Then what do you recommend?”

“Go to their base, find the DOOMS victim and kill it.” Leedo’s heart stops beating for a second. “We already gathered a lot of research and as it is looking right now, it is too dangerous to keep it alive, especially considering the lack of control.”

He stops listening, staring down at the floor. That was their plan all along? Just kill him when they finished? They are most likely going to send out a team to bring him back, or maybe just kill him immediately when they see him. He can’t let that happen. 

He’s still wearing his clothing from being outside and delivering the package. The motorcycle is right outside. He sets in a run out towards the entrance and outside, where they are still cleaning up. One of the people yells after him, calling his name but he ignores it and continues.

Maybe Youngjo was right, that Bridges can’t be trusted. The way they spoke so casually and calmly about killing Seoho, even if he has intentionally never hurt anyone, he can’t believe it. How many other DOOMS victims have been killed because they were deemed too dangerous? But he also said Seoho was dangerous.

Leedo stops by the bike, looking at it, and then back at the destruction with has taken over the city. It’s scary, see metal buildings bend and broken in ways he hadn’t imagined. Seoho did that, he nearly ruined the entire headquarters. Maybe they are all right about him. 

He immediately shakes his head, refusing to believe it. Seoho did it to survive, to save himself. They don’t know what they are talking about.

The tracks from the trucks they used are still visible in the ground, going out towards the mountains. He just has to follow those and hopefully, he will end up everywhere Seoho is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to do a double update because chapters 8 and 9 are both quite short so I felt like that wasn't fair to have to wait so long. Hopefully, you will enjoy them, even if I am not that pleased with them. But they are just there to drive the story further on and move onto the next stage.
> 
> As always, thank you very much for reading. I appreciate all the comments I am receiving, hopefully, another chapter again next week.
> 
> Twt: zeze_valkyrie


	10. Chapter 10

The base was approximately an hour’s drive away, hidden between some of the mountains. As Leedo gets closer, he can see the traces of Homo Demens territory, the fence as he comes near, the old rusted technology they use and one single radio tower soaring towards the sky. It’s small. It has become misty and dark, the sun setting in the back. 

Leedo stops the bike and steps off, crouching down while making his way over towards the base. Guards are standing outside, looking out after anything that shouldn’t be in their territory. One which is hiding behind some rocks, cursing inside his head over his protective gear in all white plastic. He has to wait for the sun to set, for it to be in dark surroundings and then somehow get inside. It’s a small fence they have already the base, one he could easily climb over.

That’s the easiest way inside.

He sits down on the ground, pulling the hoodie over him in case it should start raining, waiting for the darkness to lay over them. He waits maybe two hours in pure silence, listening to the guards walking around, a few mumbles here and there but else, it’s dead silent. There’s nothing from inside. He had expected at least some to come out or go inside, but there is no change. It’s dark enough for the lights around the base to be turned on, softer blue lights to not attract animals.

Leedo looks up over towards the base again. The guards are only at the front, there is none at the sides. That’s his way in, then try and find a backdoor or a window he can break, anything that can get him inside. There are the front doors, but he is more likely to get caught there.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly starts taking off the plastic and all the protective gear around him. Inside, it’s only going to slow him down. It’s moments like these he realizes how weak he is going to be; he has no weapons, no form of protection from being shot or killed the moments they find out he is inside. 

They won’t kill him. An incinerator is too far away, the only thing they would do is knock him out and keep him as a prisoner. The smoke from a burning body would be toxic and attract BTs, too many for them to handle.

He crouches as he crawls over towards the side of the fence. Seoho is in there, inside of that building, who knows what they are doing to him. If Bridges gets their hands on him, he will die. He’s not safe anywhere in this world. Crawling over the fence is nothing, he has done similar things before and succeeds with no problems. 

He crawls over to the front opening and sneaks inside. There is another door that he has to get through but can’t. It has to be opened from the inside. Either he waits for someone to come out or for someone needing to go in, both would result in him being found. Looking back at the guards, oblivious to him. He has no other choice.

Leedo bangs his hand hard against the metal surface of the door, a loud but short bang echoing out. Before he even just a chance to turn and see them react, two are already standing in front of him. That’s his way inside.

The inside is not much different than the headquarters, it’s too bright, too white, too clean. He feels like he’s being dragged through an insane asylum, he could see how some people would go insane from being stuck in here. The Homo Demens guards take him into a much darker room, feels nearly pitch black before closing the door on him. What now? He hadn’t thought that far.

_ “What did you expect to find here?” _ Youngjo’s voice sounds over the speakers in the corners of the darkroom.

“Where is he?” Leedo says out loud.

_ “Seoho? He’s sleeping, he has had an exhausting day. Tomorrow morning, the way back to the research center continues. There he will be safe.” _

“He isn’t safe with you. You’re going to misuse him. You and Bridges are no different, both using his DOOMS abilities for your own use.”

_ “If you compare Bridges and us, you just show how ignorant you are. A comparison between Bridges and us isn’t fair. How about we go over all the horrible things Bridges have done? And all the things we have done to do good. Bridges don’t want unity, they want the survival of the strongest.” _

“Still doesn’t explain why Seoho is safer with you.”

_ “I won’t use him as a weapon.” _

“As if! You’re a tyrant. You and your group of anarchists are nothing more than wild animals. You killed an entire city just because you wanted to, took away their only protection perfectly aware that they would die and you did nothing to help them! You’re greedy. If you are so brave and almighty, then come and face me instead of hiding behind the speaker. ”

_ “What a big mouth you have,” _ Youngjo says, laughing.

“Asshole!”

_ “See you tomorrow.” _ And the line cuts dead. 

Leedo yells out after him, yelling his name despite knowing that he isn’t listening. He yells every insult and curses he knows at Youngjo’s name before finally stopping. Seoho is here but he will go again tomorrow. He has to figure out how to follow them. He grabs onto his hair in frustration, pulling it. If he had known they would go to yet another base, he wouldn’t have gone inside. He hadn’t thought anything through, he should have known that the base was too small for any research area.

There is nothing he can do. He sits down, up against the wall for what feels like an eternity, at some point even falls asleep and wakes up at the sudden bright light shining in through the door. Covering his eyes, there stands a dark figure in the door, waving him over. Still half asleep and dazed, he stands up, going over there and follows the new guards bringing him out to a car. Or at least that what he assumes it is, he needs to keep his eyes mostly closed due to the exposure of the bright light.

At some point, the car with the tinted windows starts driving. He can’t see out and he even falls asleep again during the ride. Maybe they are bringing him to a bigger prison? The car stops and he is dragged out again. His mind is all over the place, not registering where anything is or where he is being dragged to. They place him on a chair where a large window is in front of him, showing into another room.

Seoho is in there. 

Seoho is in there. He jerks up in his chair, nearly falling out of it as he looks at the man lying in a fetus position on the floor, sleeping on a mat. Leedo feels a hand on his shoulder, and he stands up, pushing it away and looking at Youngjo directly in the eyes. He is smiling at him.

“You said you wanted to see me face to face. Here I am. What now? Are you scared? I thought you would maybe like to see it. Sit down. And before you ask, I haven’t done anything to him, he’s just sleeping. He was restless so he was given sleeping medication, he will wake up sooner or later.”

“What are you going to do?”

“See the beach. Where do you think he goes when he’s sleeping?”

Two doctors inside with Seoho is hooking him up to a large machine, barely touching him on the ground. A needle in through the back of his neck, instinctively making Leedo touch his own. He can see the discomfort in the face, but maybe it is also just a nightmare. Youngjo grabs his shoulders again, forcing him to sit down again, nearly tipping the chair over.

“Enjoy the view.”

A long curved screen turns on, brightening up the room, even more, something Leedo didn’t think was possible.

“I hope you are aware of the things DOOMS victims see, their extinction nightmares,” Youngjo says, keeping his hand on his shoulder, pressing down.

“I know.”

“Then this shouldn’t shock you.”

An image slowly starts appearing on the screen, just the regular image of Seoho’s beach, the same beach he has already seen. He can feel Youngjo’s eyes on him, staring down. Dead whales, dried out fish on the beach, black sand and stones and cliffs emerging from underneath, a bright sun shining in the distance.

“Either you have a really good poker face or … he has already shown you.”

Leedo doesn’t even need to look up at Youngjo to know he is smiling as his fingers tighten around his shoulder, digging into his skin. What even is he going to see? Seoho has never told what he sees in his nightmares.

In the outer corner of the screen, something is moving in. He takes him a few seconds to realize it’s human, gray and lifeless, wandering out towards the dark water in a zombie-like state. His grip around the arms of the chair tightens as he looks down at Seoho. He is moving around restlessly as if he is in pain. 

“Here comes my favorite part.”

A bright flash on the screen appears in the sky. Seoho screams as BTs start appearing for every single human on the beach, blackening the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you are enjoying the story. The next chapter will be the last so I hope you are just as excited as I am. The end is so close yet so far. I will try and write the ending as soon as possible and have it out for you all. Thank you for all the support and all the comments and messages I have received, it has made writing the story a lot more enjoyable.
> 
> Twt: zezevalkyrie


	11. The End

What feels like an eternity, but might just have been a few minutes passing, Seoho stops screaming and the screen goes dark. Leedo looks at him, seeing the man with open eyes, hands shaking slightly. Youngjo removes his hand from his shoulder, yet it feels like the imprint is still going to be there.

“What are you going to do now?” Leedo asks, standing up slowly.

“Enter the beach, it’s still fresh in his mind meaning he will have an easier time entering it. And I’ll stop my heartbeat to enter along with him.”

“You’re going to kill yourself?”

“Temporarily. Whatever he has shown you, whatever time he brought you along into the beach, you were not there physically. No living non-DOOMS victim can enter.”

“You’re insane, you’re killing yourself? What if it goes wrong? And your death is going to attract BTs!”

He does not care much if Youngjo dies, but he does not want to die, he doesn’t want Seoho to die. Even if it causes an explosion, Seoho and he just needs to be away from here before it happens.

“As I said, it would be temporary,” he says while turning to go into the other room where Seoho is.

Leedo tries to grab out after him and he does succeed, grabbing onto his shirt and pulling him back. Youngjo spins around, grabbing and bending his aged hand, making him fall to the ground in pain, biting his tongue to keep the screams in.

“Looks like someone didn’t take any medicine. How are you enjoying your new hand? I never asked.”

“Fuck you,” Leedo hisses through his teeth.

Youngjo smiles at him, before tossing him to the side as if he was a ragdoll and enter into the next room, the door immediately locking after him. Leedo first now realizes that he is alone in this room and how small it is. It’s some kind of weird observation room. He goes up to the window to look through, biting the pain of his crumbling hand.

Seoho has been moved to a chair to sit in, all kinds of wires and a few needles being attached to his body. He is awake yet he does nothing to stop it, he is just accepting it all. Is that why they managed to have him for so long? He just accepted the treatment, all the experiments, and torture? Youngjo is also being hooked up to a few wires, not nearly as many, but he does get the same needle in through his neck. For a split second, he sees the pain in his eyes, a lot of it before disappearing immediately after again.

His glance switches over to Seoho again who is looking at him. His eyes are empty, dead like he already knows his faith. He is already looking at a corpse of a dead man. Seoho smiles to him, softly but even that just seemed to have taken a lot of energy out of him. He is on the brink of death.

Leedo starts banging the glass with his good hand, catching the attention of everyone in the room.

“What do you think you’ll accomplish with this? Seoho is not going to bring back your family! They are dead!”

Youngjo doesn’t even seem surprised that Leedo knows. They continue with their actions. He slams the window harder, his fist hurting.

“They are BTs, you are going to be stuck on that beach, you’re going to kill us all.”

“I am not planning on bringing them back, your idiot,” Youngjo says, calmly. “I am perfectly aware that they are not able to be brought back. I wish to see them, one more time. To say goodbye, is that too much to ask for?”

“Why abuse Seoho? He kills himself a little more every time he visits the beach, you’re putting him through torture.”

“He has no survival instinct, he doesn't care if he dies or not. The only thing he is going to feel is pain, which is temporary. Start it, now.”

Leedo yells at them to stop but, of course, no one listens. He feels hopeless, weak. There is nothing he can do except watch as Seoho is being forced to his limit, possibly killing himself in the process. He’s merely a weak human.

“Make sure he is taken care of, preferably a place that won’t affect us,” Youngjo says.

Leedo feels his heart stop for a brief second. They are gonna take him somewhere, far away and kill him. He slowly lokes up and makes eye contact with Seoho, who just emptily stares at him. This is going to be the last time he sees him, a scarred man he found in a cave, a man who saved his life. How he wishes he could have done more. His head drops low, disappointed in himself. His promise of keeping Seoho safe has been broken.

Rustling starts sounding from inside the room. Leedo looks up to see Seoho shaking, holding tight onto the arms of the chair. A few of the doctors take a few steps back, watching in anticipation or nervousness over what’s to happen. Youngjo stops as well, looking over, watching as black oil starts dripping down from Seoho’s hands and arms. Leedo has seen that too many times while working. His instinct to run kicks in but there is nowhere to run.

Seoho is panicking, he’s summoning BTs. He doesn’t know what to do, does he run? Is he even going to be safe here? Screams of what sounds like a thousand sirens going off at once as the whole floor gets covered in black oil, hands coming up and grabbing onto anything living and dragging it down. The screams mix, human screaming for help, begging for their lives to be saved while the screams of the dead, with one goal in mind; to kill.

Leedo watches with wide eyes, frozen in space. He hears Youngjo scream, jumped up on one of the tables as dark hands and faces rise to grab out after him. One of the creatures grab his ankle and forces him down, slowly burrowing him underneath the dark liquid. He screams for help. Leedo just watches. If he goes in there, he will die as well, there is nothing he can do. But how long is Seoho going to continue? How much can he continue before pulling himself to utter exhaustion?

The skin around his arms are burning, slowly being pulled away. There seems to be no end in this as it just continues, until there is nothing left but the screams of the sirens, pulling in the doors to get out into the rest of the base. And then out into the wild until Seoho ultimately passes out or loses control over them. His skin is slowly becoming paler, white as porcelain.

A few dozen black liquid covered hands suddenly start hammering at the glass. Leedo jumps back in shock, nearly stumbling over the chair. The human-shaped creatures break the glass and start crawling in. He is cornered up against the wall, nowhere to run or hide. He knew he would probably die by the hands of BTs but he hadn’t expected it to be like this. There is nothing he can do. So, he just closes his eyes and accepts whatever is going to come at him, waiting for the hit or the pull, to lose the feeling of breathing.

But nothing comes. Opening his eyes again, sweat dripping down from his forehead, the oil has taken up every space in the small room, except for where he is sitting. Nearly as if a small circle of protection is around him. They are completely ignoring him and his presence, just searching for a way out. Shaken and slowly, he stands up, pressing himself to the wall, his legs just barely able to keep him up.

They are not attacking him.

Because Seoho told them not to.

Leedo takes a small step forward. He steps in the thick liquid but nothing happens. He makes his way over to the window and crawls through, where the liquid is deeper going up to his shins. Gritting his teeth as he struggles over to Seoho who is still on the chair, nearly in a comatose state.

Carefully taking the man’s face in his hands, he starts calling for him. After a bit, Seoho opens his eyes to look at him, all color has nearly disappeared.

“You can stop now, it’s okay. You’re okay … I am okay.”

He keeps eye contact, a bit of color reappearing into his eyes. Leedo can feel the warmth returning to Seoho’s cheeks. Tears start to appear in his eyes, a few of them escaping. Leedo starts removing some of the needles and the nerve sensors, including the long needle in his nape. Just as the creatures had appeared from the hands of Seoho, they disappear just as quickly. He doesn’t know where they go, but he doesn’t care.

All the doctors and guards are laying on the floor, a few dead but also just a few unconscious. Seoho grabs his attention again as he sits up, pulling Leedo into a hug, holding tightly around him. Leedo returns it. It’s so quiet now. There is barely a sound, their breathing filling up most of it.

“I didn’t want you to die,” Seoho whimpers.

“It’s okay. It’s time to go.”

“Where?” 

They can’t return to Bridges. They are going to kill Seoho. Most other cities in the country all work for Bridges except for a few, but they are far away. It’s their only chance.

“Somewhere safe, where they won’t know what you can do.”

“I’m tired.”

“Get up,” Leedo says, turning his back to him and crouching down a little. Seoho crawls up, wrapping his arms around his neck and legs around his waist, latching tightly on.

“Your hand feels funny.”

Leedo smiles, slowly stepping over the unconscious bodies on the ground, over to what he hopes is the exit. He hadn’t realized how far Seoho’s powers extended to but it seems like a majority either escaped or were caught by the creatures. Vehicles are waiting outside. He helps Seoho inside, looking back at the hall and base. It feels too easy. Like it’s a trap and as soon as they drive outside, Bridges are going to be waiting for them. Maybe they will be. 

He looks back at Seoho who is already asleep in the seat, breathing slowly. A calm moment for once. A gun loads behind him, and he slowly turns his head to see Youngjo, limping over towards him. He is covered in the oil-like liquid.

“What do you want?” Leedo asks, stepping over towards him.

“I want the DOOMS victim.”

“So you can what? Cause him to panic again and potentially kill your entire crew? I would recommend you either burn all the bodies in there or run away before BTs come and this place explodes.”

“You don’t understand. If you stay with him, you’re going to die. He is at a level of DOOMS where he wants mass extinction of humanity.”

“You’re bullshitting stuff right now. If he wanted that, he would have done it ages ago.”

“Let me finish it off.”

“I thought you wanted to use him to see your family.”

“I did … and I still do … I wish I could bring back my family. I never got to say goodbye to them before the explosion came and they were dead. I thought we would all be safe. They are stuck on the beach, I wanted to see them, to let them go and pass through into the afterlife.”

“Life isn’t fair.”

“Then why do you get to keep what you love? Do you even know how it feels to see your loved ones dead? Do you want to experience it?”

Youngjo’s finger has moved to the trigger while Leedo moved closer towards him. They are standing close, in front of each other. Youngjo pressing the gun to his chest.

“Do it. You’ll have to deal with the rage of Seoho. BTs are going to come here anyway, what’s one other body for them to collect? It’ll be a huge explosion, Knot City might even feel it. I don’t know what it’s like to lose my loved ones, but I was close today. Lower the gun and let Seoho and me go, go somewhere else and start new.”

“That thing is going to kill you.”

“I would rather he kills me than you do. I’m sorry about your family, but if there is anyone who is going to kill themselves here, it’s you trying to achieve the impossible. They are dead, move on ... We are going south-east, I would recommend going in the opposite direction if you fear him that much.”

Youngjo lowers the gun, just as thunder starts in the background. His expression has not changed, but something must have clicked inside his head.

“BTs will soon be here,” Leedo says, backing away without turning around, watching Youngjo, making sure he doesn’t do anything. “Run while you still have time.”

He gets into the vehicle quickly, starts it and drives away. South-east as he told Youngjo. He looks over at the sleeping man. There is so much power, too much for one person to handle, too many dangers coming along with it. Hopefully, Leedo will be able to uphold his promise this time. Hopefully, they will be safe, together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end. I hope you have enjoyed it and that you are not left disappointed or empty. I had some difficulties figuring out how I wanted to end it but I am pleased with it. Thank you to everyone who has read, left comments and dm'ed me compliments, I truly appreciate them and it has kept my motivation high. 
> 
> Also a personal thanks to @btfulStrnger who has been translating the story into Russian. If any Russian speaking readers would be interested in that, here is the link https://ficbook.net/readfic/9035015   
> And also just thanks to the ones I've talked to about the fic, been able to share my ideas and listening to me <3 that's it for now.
> 
> Twt: zeze__valkyrie

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. I hope it wasn't too confusing! Tell me what you think.


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